View of the clash: Beaverton man: 'The plan is to tell the story'

Substitute teacher and community volunteer Bob Schnepp calls himself a pacifist, and says violence is never a solution.

"Conflicts are there. You cant avoid the conflicts but you can determine how youre going to deal with them," Schnepp said.

So the Beaverton man went to the Mideast to learn more about the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

"I thought there might be something I could do," he said.

Schnepp was among a 17-person delegation from throughout the United States that traveled to Israel and stayed with the Christian Peacekeepers Team. CPT members help people throughout the world work out disputes. CPT is coordinated through the "peace churches": Mennonites, Quakers and Church of the Brethren, of which Schnepp is a member.

Schnepp and the other members of the delegation visited Jerusalem, Hebron and Bethlehem. They stayed in a hostel and with Palestinian families. They met with organizations such as Rabbis for Human Rights and Israelis Against Home Demolitions, groups devoted to peace and human rights. "You really are not going to be able to have one without the other," Schnepp said.

The group met mostly with Palestinian sympathizers, but they also met a woman who lives in an Israeli settlement.

The settlements themselves are a point of contention. In part, some of these Jewish communities are seen by Palestinians as a land-grab, while many Jews say they were promised the land by God.

The woman they met was an American and had been a Quaker before she converted to Judaism.

"It was very enlightening in many ways," Schnepp said. "It gives you a real feel for the Israelis; the fear thats involved, the struggle thats involved."

The delegation viewed the wall being built by the Israeli government throughout parts of the country to separate Israelis and Palestinians.

Israelis say the wall is a security measure, necessary to protect themselves from Palestinian suicide bombers. Palestinians say the wall amounts to little more than a cage, making their daily activities next to impossible.

Schnepp said the wall will not stand forever. "It cant last. Its like the Berlin Wall. Its coming down eventually," Schnepp said.

The trouble is some Israelis and some Palestinians see no way to live among each other. This extremist view, Schnepp said, is the minority opinion among both populations.

"But most of the voices you hear are the radical voices," he said. "Theyre the loudest and theyre the most shrill."

The truth is, Schnepp said, most Israelis and most Palestinians want peace.

Schnepp has spoken to local groups about his visit and more opportunities are scheduled. "The plan is to tell the story as much as I can," Schnepp said.

His audience has not shied away from debate. Schnepp doesnt deny that Palestinians have done wrong. "We have a dominating force that has been unjust and a people who havent behaved righteously, either," Schnepp said.

He just doesnt believe the struggle is even: Palestinians throwing rocks are no match for Israelis in tanks.

Schnepp met an Israeli and Palestinian who attended a peacemakers meeting together. Schnepp said they realize they must put aside their anger.

"Without reconciliation, life just doesnt get better again," Schnepp said.